As the 2013-2014 school year comes to a close, we are reminded of the continuous support that teachers and faculty members provide for the students of Antioch Community High School. Each of us, as a junior and senior respectively, has been under a lot of stress in the past year. With ACTs, AP exams, college applications and schoolwork to keep up with, students are constantly under pressure from the school, their parents and themselves.

However, there are certain ACHS teachers and faculty members who help students cope with this pressure and ensure that their high school careers run smoothly. We have both been positively influenced by multiple teachers in the building that have provided support and advice whenever we needed it.

For juniors, this school year has been  full of ACT  and college preparation, along with loads of homework and projects from multiple challenging classes. Many teachers in the building volunteered themselves as ACT mentors, taking a few juniors under their wing to prepare them for that somewhat life-changing exam.

Seniors have finally been able to put their hard-earned ACT scores to use on countless college and scholarship applications, as long as they were able to keep track of the deadlines that seem to appear out of nowhere. When deciding on colleges to attend next fall, seniors could use all of the help they could get; it can be overwhelming to weigh all of the different options alone, so it’s always helpful to hear the opinion of a caring teacher who has already been through the experience of deciding on a college and major. With so much to do within days that seem to fly by, it is not surprising that many juniors and seniors have looked to teachers and staff members at ACHS to assist them throughout the year.

Although these staff members may not seem like the superheroes we see in comics and action movies, they are definitely heroes in their own right. Whether these unsung heroes show off their superpowers as teachers in the classroom or administrative assistants in one of the offices, they all have one thing in common: ACHS would not be the same without them. The Tom Tom staff spoke to students, teachers and administrators to uncover the true definition of a hero here at ACHS. This newfound definition ranges from going beyond their job description to support students to simply being a friend to a student who is going through a difficult and emotional time.

In this issue of the Tom Tom, we featured 13 staff members as heroes. While we could have filled multiple magazines with the tales of our ACHS heroes, we were limited to nine pages. For more featured heroes, visit tomtomnews.com.

The Tom Tom would also like to introduce Marina Palmieri as the Editor-in-Chief for the 2014-2015 school year. We look forward to another year of serving ACHS and the Antioch community and know that the Tom Tom will be in good hands.

I have to admit, I was a little worried when we found out that two of the quietest staff members were going to be editors. It can be difficult to earn the respect of peers when put in a leadership position; it’s not the same as being a teacher, which is an accepted authority position. Marina, it has been so amazing to have you by my side on the staff this year. You are always there to reason out problems with me and keep me calm if I get stressed out. I think we have both grown tremendously this year and I cannot wait to hear about all of your accomplishments next year. I am more than confident in your abilities to be a great EIC. There is a reason why you have been chosen for this position and you should always be confident in all that you do.  ~ Sara